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For those who believe that the violence is diminishing in Mexico… Consider the fact that we have no idea how (or IF) the mass killings happening now along the border in Tamaulipas or these mass graves in Guerrero even get into the official statistics. More details below from Animal Politico.

A priest from the town of Ciudad Altamirano in southern Guerrero state was kidnapped several days ago and yesterday he was found dead from a gunshot to the head. People in the town staged protests after Father Gregorio López Gorostieta was abducted from the Catholic seminary in Altamirano on Dec 21. The article notes that “these events took place despite the federal government deployment of a special operation in the area one month ago with the participation of the National Gendarmeria, the Navy, the Army and the Federal Police.”

An earlier report on the priest’s abduction is posted below from the AP. -Molly

Below are Jim’s comments on the pieces attached. Also below is Alma Guillermoprieto’s article in the NYRB, published before the latest announcement from the Mexican AG on the confessions as to the murders and the burning of the bodies of the students. I would also like to point out that in early October, just a few days after the students disappeared, Borderland Beat reported on OCTOBER 5 in a translation of an article from La Jornada that the normalistas had been killed and their bodies burned with diesel fuel. I posted this piece to Frontera List on October 7. This is essentially what the AG reported to the world yesterday. News that has been known for more than a month… molly

COMMENTS FROM Jim:

I’ve attached a large PDF file containing 17 different items from late Thursday (the 6th) until early this morning.(the 8th).

I will not analysis the content, but will offer a brief overview and description of why I chose these particular references.

First, there are several pieces covering a news conference headed by Jesus Murillo Karam where the PGR presented a statement that the missing students were taken to an area between Iguana and Cocula and executed and incinerated for up to 15 hours before remains were thrown into a river. Murillo reports that the capture of 3 narcos (Guerrero Unidos) led to confessions pointing to this spot, and in the absence of forensic evidence the PGR has accepted this testimony as sufficient proof. The evidence presented (video confessions, pictures) supports this version (narrative) of the days beginning September 26 through the 28th. It points a finger squarely at “narcos” and lays most of the blame there.

Murillo Karan also uttered a phrase “Soy cansado” which has been appropriated by protestors and used as the latest hashtag to point out how the government is doing its best to avoid responsibility for any of the events in Guerrero – #YaSoyCansado and #YaEstamosCansado have become the latest protest phrase pointing to disgust with the government.

International groups, especially Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have quickly pointed out that “the government of Peña Nieto” has not admitted that it played an active role- and continues to look for a line of explanation that points to narcos.

The parents of the Normalistas have flatly rejected the evidence presented by Murillo Karam. A couple of reports describe their reaction (and I also included the Alma Guillermoprieto essay from NY Review of Books). These parents will not allow the PGR and the government to walk away from this mess untouched. Their persistence is amazing, and it is the “glue” holding together the diverse protest movements together. One of the strongest arguments that the parents have made is that Enrique Peña Nieto has put together a hasty narrative so that he can hop in his new presidential airplane and go off to a trade mission in China and Australia.

I did not include a specific article from Padre Solalinde, but he has also called out the Catholic Hierarchy and said that they need to do more than pray.

One of the articles I included is a column from Raymundo Riva Palacio pointing out that the criminal charges brought against ex-mayor Abarca and his wife are likely to fail. He makes an interesting point that the PGR is following the same strategy (and making the same mistakes) as they did in the Ruiz Massieu – Raul Salinas case from 2 decades ago.

Some of the reports in this attachment include “online comments” and observations. The social media world has literally exploded with comments and observations – most of them angry. The anger is literally white-hot. I encourage everyone to go online and pay attention to this anger. It’s also clear that there is an organized attempt to “reconstruct” the narrative in cyberspace: there are comments (repetitive) and signed with strangely patriotic names arguing that the State cannot be blamed and that these killings and disappearances are simply the acts of evil men and narcos. Those “apologias” are always dismissed and shouted down (…especially on Twitter).

Proceso has been one of the leading sources and most detailed in its coverage, and its journalists are regular tweeters. Carmen Aristegui has also been a good source of information.

El Diario reports that 45 people were victims of homicide in March. This is the highest number in the past 5 months. Two of these victims were women, 2 were minors and 2 were Federal policemen shot in an ambush on March 19. The report says that another body was discovered in a clandestine grave in the Valle de Juarez and this case is being investigated by the special prosecutor for crimes against women, but this one is not included in the count–apparently because it cannot be said for certain when she was murdered. In all since the beginning of the year, 97 people have been victims of homicide. In January, there were 26 murders, the majority related to gang fights and not “organized crime.” In February, the state Fiscalia reported 26 murders, and in addition, the discovery of 3 bodies in hidden graves and one decapitated person. I would count this as a total of 30, since it is unlikely these other dead will show up in another tally.

The problem of how the deaths are classified by the different government agencies is illustrated in the other article from MILENIO. This national report says that there were 1,025 murders “related to organized crime” in March–an increase from January and February. There are no criteria provided as to how these murders are classified as “organized crime related” as opposed to other homicides. The article reports that the state of Chihuahua is still at the top of the list for murders with 186 homicides. [The article doesn’t give a figure for the city of Juarez, but if we take the number from the Fiscalia of 45, that would mean there were 141 homicides elsewhere in Chihuahua state in March]. The other most violent states are: Sinaloa with 108 homicides in March; Estado de Mexico — 86; Guerrero — 68.

It is worth noting that the article does not report anything for Tamualipas–a state where numerous very violent incidents were reported during March, but no official tallies of the number of victims seems to exist. The Milenio article does not give a source for its data.

For the second time in a month, 14 mutilated bodies have been abandoned in
the town of Ciudad Mante in Tamaulipas. Also, according to the story posted
from Cronica, during the wave of violence yesterday in Mexico, at
least 44 people were murdered in the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz,
Guerrero, Nuevo Leon, Jalisco, Durango and Michoacan. In the Veracruz case,
11 bodies were found in a clandestine grave. The article lists other
incidents. I posted a google translation.

During a wave of violence yesterday at least 44 people were killed in
separate incidents related to organized crime in Tamaulipas, Veracruz,
Guerrero, Nuevo Leon, Jalisco, Durango and Michoacan.

In Tamaulipas, 14 mutilated bodies appeared inside an abandoned truck in
the parking lot of a shopping mall in Ciudad Mante.

A source from the state attorney explained that at 09:00 hours was reported
the discovery of the bodies along with a narcomensaje in the parking lot of
a supermarket chain located in the center of the municipality.

The prosecution explained that it is 10 bodies of men and four women all
mutilated and a narco message to the Gulf Cartel.

While in the municipality of Lerdo de Tejada, Veracruz, was located a
clandestine grave with eleven human skeletons.

The Secretary of the Navy of Mexico undertook dig up human remains.

Meanwhile, in various municipalities of Guerrero the wave of violence left
seven people killed, five of whom died in shootouts in the municipality of
Apaxtla Castrejon and another died in hospital Teloloapan. In Acapulco, a
shooting left as a result one dead, one wounded and a woman deprived of
their liberty.

In Monterrey, a body was found in a car, while gunmen executed one person
and wounded his nephew left refusing to pay a fee.

In the first event in the center of Monterrey was found a corpse in a
Volkswagen Jetta with the plates FGR-2162.

Moreover, in San Nicolas de los Garza, a man about 60 years old was shot by
an armed, while his nephew aged between 20 and 25 were injured.

In another incident, after close off a motorcycle, the driver of a van was
amagado by armed men who kidnapped him, but managed to escape despite being
tied hand and foot.

Meanwhile, in San Sebastian del Oeste, Jalisco, human remains were found
buried in three mass graves, which correspond to three people.

The bodies were in a ranch called Palmillas de Macedo and experts from the
Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) exhumed the skeletal remains.
One of the bodies has a bullet in the head and is maimed.

In Durango, two people were killed and one was injured more seriously, when
staff moved Expert Services on board an official unit Soapy village was
attacked by several gunmen with these results.

Within the limits of the municipalities of Buenavista Tomatlan and
Tepalcatepec in Michoacán five bodies, three men and two women, were found
inside plastic bags.

Alleged gunmen executed the coup de grace to the five people, among which
one of the women was pregnant and was beheaded, and one of the men were
maimed arm. The rest of the bodies were blindfolded and showed signs of
torture.

In addition to the bodies found on the bridge of Piedras Blancas, right
next to a grocery store, was found pinned to the chest of one of the women
a message that said: Here we leave a little present gentlemen to see that
it can be since we’re here Mencho and Rafa Álvarez: att 8 CJNG.